This summer, chef Richard Sandoval invaded Southern California with three new restaurants. Both in the revitalized Santa Monica Place, Zengo is at its best when fusing Latin American and Asian flavors, while you can get vastly superior versions of La Sandia’s more straight-forward Mexican cuisine in just about every L.A. neighborhood for less. Then there’s Raya, a much different, and much better, animal that opened at The Ritz Carlton Laguna Nigel. Obviously more upscale given its location, Raya’s primary focus is sustainable, Monterrey Bay Aquarium-approved seafood, bearing a bevy of detailed, clever micro-ingredients both Mexican and Asian in origin. Under chef de cuisine Greg Howe, the most popular item here is a sweet corn soup brushed with huitlacoche puree, floating Maine lobster, truffled masa dumplings, clams, and crab meat. Elsewhere, rolls are studded with Serrano, a shrimp ceviche is dotted with tiny black sesame seeds in a sauce containing lychee and coconut sambal, pibil is made from Jidori chicken, and mole verde and sriracha unite for a Hawaiian ahi. See our slide show of some of Raya’s signature dishes and check out the full dinner, cocktail, and dessert menus below.
Raya Dinner
For the Table
Smoked Swordfish Dip - pacific swordfish / tomato / onion / cilantro / pickled jalapeños / corn tortilla 14
Appetizers
Coconut Shrimp Ceviche - rock shrimp/ coconut broth / lychee / sweet sambal / black sesame seed / mint / chile habanero 16
Hawaiian Tuna Ceviche - jicama / red onions /
cilantro / avocado / chile de arbol / yuzu / puffed rice 16
Octopus Carpaccio - braised octopus / arugula / avocado / lime / chile toreado aiöli / adobo vinaigrette 15
Oysters-on-the-half-shell - pacific kumamoto oysters / red wine mignonette / roasted tomatillo salsa / chipotle honey mignonette 18
Lobster Tacos - maine lobster / flour tortilla / black bean purée / chile de arbol salsa / avocado / cilantro 18
Beef Huarache - vintage natural prime dry-aged NY sirloin / black bean purée / onions /
chile toreado aiöli / manchego cheese / crispy masa flatbread 18
Tomatoes & Avocado - tutti frutti organic tomatoes / avocado / requeson /serrano-apple vinaigrette / pickled onions / balsamic / epazote 15
Mushroom Huarache - caramelized onions / roasted wild mushrooms / black bean purée /
goat cheese / truffle oil / crispy masa flatbread 14
Hamachi Tiraditos - hamachi sashimi / radish / sriracha / apple / mint / ponzu / ginger 17
Ceviche Tasting - rock shrimp / ahi tuna / plantain & yuca chips 18
Soup + Salad
Sweet Corn Soup - truffled masa dumplings / huitlacoche purée / crab / clams / lobster / avocado 14
Black Bean Soup - queso fresco / sweet plantain / avocado / crispy tortilla 10
Organic Beet Salad - roasted beets / watercress / queso de valdeon / pear-green chile salsa / pistachio / mole negro vinaigrette 12
Tuna Tataki Salad - ahi tuna / avocado / mixed greens / lemon-ginger-wasabi dressing /
white spring onion / fresh ginger 18
Lobster Salad - maine lobster / sweet potato / baby spinach / chile ancho-port reduction / chive oil 18
Maggie Farms Arugula Salad - pea shoots / cranberries / almonds / goat cheese / spicy balsamic vinaigrette 13
Entrees
Achiote Salmon - organic king salmon / chayote /smoked bacon / wild mushrooms / chipotle aioli / achiote ponzu 24
Miso Black Cod - alaskan black cod / daikon radish / asparagus / lemon-togarashi aioli / kabayaki sauce 29
Chicken Pibil - jidori farm-raised organic chicken / achiote citrus sauce / pickled red onions / yuca fries 21
Seared Hawaiian Tuna - pistachio-chile ancho crust / sweet carrot / sriracha / green apple salad / mole verde 27
Roasted Halibut - pacific halibut / truffled boniato / roasted corn salsa / chive oil / crispy jalapenos 28
Rack of Lamb - natural colorado lamb / corn purée / edamame-corn-cherry tomato-pearl onion / hoisin-adobo 35
Seafood Paella - maine lobster / prawns / clams /crab / calamari / spanish dry-cured chorizo / saffron rice / lobster oil 28
Sautéed Prawns - prawns / tomato-olive-caper sauce / fufu / plantain chip / pickled poblano 35
Braised Short Rib - snake river farms wagyu beef / oaxaca cheese organic yukon mash / broccolini / huitlacoche-shiitake / dragon sauce / hoisin adobo 26
Vintage Natural NY Sirloin - alaskan king crab potato purée / chipotle hollandaise / daikon-tomato-fava bean / grilled spring onions / black truffle chimichurri 38
Raya is committed to serving only natural and organic produce featuring fresh, local California products. Raya’s menu showcases sustainable seafood, as per the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program,which helps to protect the future fish supply in the world’s oceans. Our dry aged beef, natural lamb and organic chickens are raised using no hormones or antibiotics.
Cocktails
Orange Ginger
Asian inspired drink, exotic ingredients, wonderful balance. Absolute Mandarin and Gekkeikan Sake
Yuzu Fresa
Made with fresh strawberries, very refreshing and light. Made with Stoli Citros
Mojito Cuzco
Very refreshing, wonderful balance. Made with Bacardi rum
Passion Fruit Mojito
Very refreshing and light. Made with Bacardi rum
Tamarind-Togarashi Margarita
Latin Asian inspired margarita, amazing Togarashi salt. Made with Patron Silver tequila
Hibiscus Margarita
Very refreshing. Made with dry hibiscus flower and Herradura Silver tequila
RAYA DESSERTS
Chocolate Tart
mexican chocolate / almond crust / sour cream sorbet/ espresso anglaise 11
Rice Pudding Brulee
jasmine rice & vanilla bean custard / burnt sugar / seasonal fruit 10
Churros
cinnamon sugar/ chile ancho-chocolate sauce / cajeta / citrus anglaise 9
Yuzu Citrus Cake
five-spice custard sauce/ ginger ice cream / sesame lace cookie 11
Lemongrass Panna Cotta
passion fruit reduction / lime sorbet / tequila gelée / fleur de sel 10
Assorted Ice Cream & Sorbet
lime, sour cream, raspberry & passion fruit sorbets/ vanilla, chocolate & ginger ice creams / shortbread cookie 9
