Words by Benjamin Russell
Walking through the lobby doors of The Setai hotel, you immediately feel like you have happened across one of the places to be on Miami beach.
The Bar, an Asian inspired watering hole, decorated with decadent wood panelling and a mother of pearl counter, was bustling with a fashionable crowd enjoying conversation and cocktails, but we made our way through the throng toward the hotel’s showpiece restaurant, Jaya. The front of house staff were swamped with arriving diners, but the way they seamlessly handled the constant stream of arriving clientele showed they are used to Jaya being booked out.
Our host guided us through the restaurant, at the heart of which is a water-filled courtyard with tables dotted around the outside. The space is comfortable but still retains some of the party atmosphere we enjoyed on the way in. Lights wind their way around the trunks of uplit palm trees and across the water there is another bar complete with live DJ.
Jaya, which means ‘victory’ in Sanskrit, was chosen as the restaurant’s name to honour the late interior designer Jaya Ibrahim, one of The Setai’s original designers. The restaurant serves a mix of pan-Asian cuisine, with executive chef Vijayudu Veena taking inspiration from Thailand, Vietnam, India, China and Japan. To achieve authenticity, the team have incorporated many traditional culinary techniques, including installing their own tandoor ovens.
We were there on a Saturday, one of the evenings (along with Thursdays and Fridays) that Jaya hosts its Asian Night Bazaar, where fire dancers and acrobats provide entertainment as guests dine. Come along on a Sunday between 11.30am and 3pm and you’ll be able to enjoy a Jazz Brunch which offers live music, free-flowing Roederer Champagne, and a mojito bar – oh, and of course, brunch.
As our waiter, Ali, took our cocktail order, the first of the evening’s entertainment took to a platform above the water, lighting a flaming pugil stick and spinning it around, the flames flickering in the water of the reflection pool below. On the other side of the courtyard, a different act also performed, meaning that all diners had a good view.
The impressive courtyard restaurant is unlike any al fresco dining experience I’ve had. It felt so lush that it’s only when I looked up that I realised I was under the stars. Ali told me the outdoor setting helped it stay open through the pandemic, when it really grew its reputation as a destination restaurant.
Our first taste of the restaurant’s pan-Asian cuisine arrived in the shape of our appetisers. I opted for Hamachi, a fresh and zesty raw salmon dish served with snow peas, yuzu kosho aïoli, myoga, grapes and a sesame crisp. My partner tried the tom kha gai, a delicate soup made from chicken, coconut, mushroom lemongrass and galangal, and we shared some delicious dim sum with a deep, umami flavour, lashings of shaved truffle, and a salty kick.
For my main course I decided to go for something Indian inspired, so the thali seemed the obvious choice. It consisted of nine delicious curry dishes surrounding pillow-like naan bread and crispy poppadoms. It was a real highlight of the meal, and a chance to taste flavours from across the sub-continent. Ali recommended a beautiful Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon from Typesetter with a deep chocolate finish, which complemented the rich flavours of the curry wonderfully.
My companion had the Indian-style sea bass, which was cooked at the table on its own miniature barbecue and was delicate in flavour and texture. Among the sides we ordered were the sprouts, which had a lovely sticky, sweetness, and a crisp texture that you just couldn’t stop eating.
Our meal was punctuated by entertainment from different performers. An aerial artist spun around in a ring; a contortionist flexed into amazing shapes; and a fire dancer walked among diners with batons so hot we could feel the heat from the swirling fire, and even smell the burning paraffin.
For dessert we indulged in a walnut whip-like Gianduja tartlet, with crumbly pastry and a velvety smooth chocolate filling, and a Macallan cappuccino, which was a crème caramel infused with 12-year-old whisky, coffee gelato and devil’s food cake chocolate sponge.
Well and truly satisfied by the culinary – and visual – feast we had enjoyed, we headed out into the night. The restaurant’s location makes an after-dinner stroll worthy of the meal – kicking through the sand of Miami beach with the crashing waves of the Atlantic providing the soundtrack. It’s an experience not to be missed.
Factbox
Address: Jaya at The Seitai, 2001 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139
Phone: +1 855-923-7899
Website: thesetaihotel.com
