FOOD | Inn of the Seventh Ray
8/1/2021
Widely considered to be the most romantic restaurant in Los Angeles by bloggers and restauranteurs alike: Inn of the Seventh Ray. This is the third and final installment of our “Malibu Day” trip which consisted of The Getty Villa Museum followed by Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market & Patio Cafe. We had very high hopes for this fine dining experience, as many of our friends suggested this restaurant for my girlfriend and I’s 6 year anniversary.
Let me just pull an excerpt from their website to show you the kind of energy they showcase. “… the Inn believed in giving guests the purest of Nature’s foods, energized as a gift from the sun with a dash of esoteric food knowledge and ancient mystery school wisdom tossed in for your seasoning and pleasure.” Their food does cost both the restaurant and you a pretty penny, but apparently it has the ability to raise your “light vibrations”.
In terms of their food, they use only the healthiest oils, including olive, nut, palm, and coconut. Their water is treated with reverse osmosis to remove harmful chemicals and then alkalinized to heal your body.
Ah, good ‘ol Topanga vibes.
Things to Consider Before Your Meal
Reservations:
I highly recommend reservations, especially if you’re going on their busiest day: Saturday. Ideal dinner times (6pm-830pm) are generally booked about a week out. If you want to dine on a Saturday night, I’d recommend hopping on their website and reserving your table 2 weeks in advance.
All other days and times are generally pretty easy to book a reservation.
Attire:
For dinner, and for the most part, people will dress a bit more upscale. Most men will wear at MINIMUM a button-up shirt and chinos. Women wore either a nice dress or blouse. I did see a few people wearing just a t-shirt and jeans, but they stood out like a sore thumb. Come on people, this is LA’s most romantic restaurant.
Parking:
Parking is by valet only and they charge $8. Please beware: you can park your own car, but the valet people will still come after you for “parking on their lot”. I wouldn’t park down the street, because it’s super dark at night, and it is on the swervy roads of Topanga Canyon.
Location:
Nestled in Topanga Canyon alongside a narrow, windy road. From Pacific Coast Highway, you take Topanga Canyon Blvd for about 4 miles until you reach the restaurant. I kind of got the feeling I was driving through the mountains to settle down at a camp site (reminded me of my Boyscout camping days). Drive slow, and be safe!
The exact address is: 128 Old Topanga Canyon Rd, Topanga, CA 90290.
LA’s Most Romantic Restaurant
Order:
Roasted Mushroom Toast ($19) - A combination of shimeji and oyster mushrooms covered in sherry taragon cream, sitting atop a piece of sourdough bread. They definitely don’t play around with the amount of mushrooms they give you. There was a literal mountain of mushrooms on top of the bread, and we were decently filled off splitting this dish (between 2 people). I’m not even going to front, I have no clue what “sherry taragon” cream is supposed to even taste like. The only thing I knew was that it was quite interesting. It seemed a bit too sour for my taste, which is a common complaint of this appetizer. On Yelp reviews, this appetizer was a hit or miss. People either loved the taste, or hated it.
Creamy Truffle Risotto ($30) add organic chicken ($9) - Risotto seasoned with parmesan, black truffle, chives, and truffle oil. Our favorite dish of the night. The risotto was extremely rich in flavor, making it a pretty heavy dish. As an add-on, we got the organic chicken, which was very tender and juicy. Other options for add-ons include shrimp, salmon, steak, or scallops. As much as we wanted to finish this dish at the restaurant, it was far too rich for our stomachs. We had to take the leftovers to-go. I ended up microwaving the risotto and chicken the next morning, and it still retained all of its brilliant flavors.
8-Hour Black Vinegar Braised Short Rib ($42) - Creamy rosemary polenta, duck bacon brussel sprouts, caramelized onion, and fig jam. The short rib was tender but to be honest, kind of tasted like something you could make with your crockpot at home. They do give you a decently sized portion of short rib, and again I could not finish this dish. I took the leftovers home to make short rib quesadillas the next day, and I’m pretty sure the quesadillas tasted better than the actual restaurant dish. Yelp reviewers will say otherwise, but I’ve had plenty of short rib dishes in Vietnamese cuisine, and this entree did not impress me.
Trio of Sorbets ($10) - Flavors are selected on a daily basis. That night, the 3 flavors were green apple, raspberry, and blackberry. Super flavorful, and a perfectly light dessert to finish off the meal.
Sauvignon Blanc ($17) and Pinot Noir ($18) - I don’t know anything about wine selection or taste but they got the job done in terms of adding to the romantic setting. Their wine menu is absolutely MASSIVE. If you’re into wine, this may be the place for you.
Roasted Mushroom Toast
8-Hour Black Vinegar Braised Short Rib
Creamy Truffle Risotto with Chicken
Trio of Sorbets (Green apple, raspberry, and blackberry). No, it doesn’t come out looking like this (I forgot to take a picture before we dug in) - though I wouldn’t be surprised.
Service:
I really tried hard to enjoy the service here, but it was abysmal. Especially considering the prestige of the restaurant, as well as the price point. There wasn’t even lines outside of the restaurant. I’m not sure if they were extremely short-staffed or if our waiter was just having a bad day. When sitting down, our waiter gave us an uninterested, half-assed explanation of the menu. When we asked about the wine selection (us being total novices), it kind of seemed like he was looking down upon us for not being wine connoisseurs. The food took FOREVER, to come out as well. Throughout dinner, we’d ask for small things like refills on water, or extra silverware - repeatedly forgotten. These aren’t big issues, but for our 6-year anniversary at the most romantic restaurant in Los Angeles, I was expecting a little (LOT) better service.
Ambiance:
Perhaps the saving grace of the restaurant. Absolutely beautiful surroundings. You’re immersed in almost a fairytale-like setting in an enchanted forest, with stunning decor and romantic lighting. Probably the most romantic restaurant, in terms of scenery, that I have ever been to.
Night time lighting. White table cloth dining, brilliant greenery, and perfect décor.
Evening lighting. This is a open-space area they use for catering events.
The Verdict
I’m truly disappointed with our experience at Inn of the Seventh Ray. We had such high hopes for this restaurant, but it simply didn’t deliver. The food was decent, but when you factor in pricing, it doesn’t make any sense to me. $39 for a risotto with chicken? $42 for short-rib that you can make at home? My rating of the restaurant would’ve been higher if only our server was a bit more attentive. The ambiance is the ONLY reason this place is called the “most romantic restaurant in Los Angeles”, not the food, and definitely not the service.
Kha’s Official Rating: 7.5/10