The worst part about some tasting menu restaurants is worrying, deep down in your frugal heart, that the curated “experience” you’re shelling out for isn’t objectively more enjoyable than, say, sitting down for a relatively normal meal in a relatively normal restaurant.

Seline doesn’t have that issue. While it’s true that this fine dining spot in Santa Monica charges a clear fine dining price—dinner is $295 per person before wine, tax, and tip—and serves stunning high-brow spectacles like freeze-dried chestnut ice cream or geoduck liver crackers brought to you on metallic orbs, it’s foremost a lovely place to eat dinner. The service is warm, the dining room is comfortable, and each dish is presented with such organic grace that you might not notice the kitchen is playing Fred Again. They keep it chill here.

photo credit: Pete Lee

photo credit: Pete Lee

photo credit: Pete Lee

photo credit: Pete Lee

photo credit: Pete Lee

At first, though, Seline might psyche you out a bit. The restaurant itself is tucked within a brick mixed-use complex behind a heavy iron gate. Once you peel it open, you’ll walk into an ominously empty courtyard flooded with synthy ambient music and medieval-looking candles. Watch enough Ari Aster films and you might expect to be sacrificed to a pagan deity or worse. Oh, God. This restaurant takes itself so seriously. And in some way, Seline does—it just happens to focus its seriousness in the right places.

The midnight-black decor is stylish, but doesn’t warrant more than a mention. It's the 15 or so intricately layered dishes, which start arriving the moment you sit down, that dominate the conversation. The chef, who also runs nearby Pasjoli, blends a seasonal, we-just-picked-this-from-the-backyard approach with the kind of cerebral cleverness you’d find at places like Alinea in Chicago (where the chef worked previously). It’s a heady mixture, full of surprises but also consistently delicious. There might be fragrant pine-mushroom chawanmushi accompanied by a story about trout and trees you’d expect from a park ranger, or shiso-watercress salad wilted inside a whole roasted squash so it “seasons” the gourd for a future dish. Squab is deconstructed and split into two spectacular courses: a perfectly cooked breast and plump fennel-laced sausage stuffed into a crackly deboned leg, followed by a roasted heart and strawberry jus poured over Thai long pepper custard that tastes like sticking your head in a nutmeg cloud.

Not every tasting menu—even the expensive ones—needs to push boundaries, but if there’s a place where discovering that roasted leek and banana actually taste incredible together, without feeling like you’re stuck in a sensory art experiment, it’s Seline. The food here is unforgettable, but the restaurant doesn't forget about the rest of what makes dining out feel special, either.

Food Rundown

Note: Seline serves a seasonal tasting menu that changes frequently. These dishes are examples of what you can expect.

photo credit: Cathy Park

Mushroom Tea

This opener of warm broth is a relaxing start to an evening of spending money. There's a deep mushroom and dashi flavor happening, but it's also a little garlicky, a little herbaceous, even a little sweet from vanilla, too. It's also a clever mirror to the evening's final send-off (spoiler alert): a bowl of chilled mint and eucalyptus tea that tastes like sucking in frozen winter air after chewing mint gum.

photo credit: Sylvio Martins

“Thoughts On Pine”

We’ve never expended so much mental energy on pine, but it's clear that Seline has—and we're all better for it. This elegant two-part course includes a morsel of gently cooked, pine-smoked trout that highlights the fish’s mild sweetness. The other half is a jiggly pine-mushroom chawanmushi that you salt to your liking with trout roe.

photo credit: Pete Lee

“A Salad Cooked In Squash”

Look, texture-wise this salad isn’t the best. It’s wilted watercress and mushrooms cooked inside a squash. It's also delicious wilted watercress and mushrooms. Compared to the more nuanced courses on Seline’s tasting menu, this one has a noticeable punch of ginger and shiso, which you'll taste when you’re served the cooked squash later.

photo credit: Sylvio Martins

“The Obvious Parts Of The Squab”

Translation: the breast and leg, except they aren’t prepared in obvious ways. Well, the simple, grilled breast is, but it’s a spectacular two-bites of tender squab. The stuffed leg with salty jus is more of a sight and comes with a glossy skin that snaps like a grilled sausage.

photo credit: Pete Lee

“The Less Obvious Parts Of The Squab”

Translation: the skin, heart, and liver. This course left us wondering if sneaking organ meats into dessert-ish dishes is secretly genius. The crispy skin is transformed into a sweet-salty almond praline, the heart is combined with strawberry to form a rich, caramely sauce poured over custard, and the liver is blitzed into chocolate truffles that taste like full-fat mousse.

photo credit: Pete Lee

Caviar and Coffee

Contrary to what some people think, caviar does not belong on everything. Coffee and hazelnut cream, though? Seline has converted us. If you’re into sea salt on chocolate, this will blow you away.

video credit: Sylvio Martins

Persimmon, Black Sesame, Fig Leaf

This is the dish our team hasn’t stopped talking about. Not because it looks like you’re eating an ashtray, but because this parfait is one of the most spectacular desserts we’ve had in a long time. The fig leaf custard is not too sweet, and perfectly complemented by a layer of extra-ripe persimmon pulp. The flaky black sesame crumble on top reminds us of a certain crisp-ity, crunch-ity candy bar that The Simpsons rightfully love.

Non-Alcoholic Pairing

If you're looking to add a beverage pairing, we'd suggest the $125 non-alcoholic option over the pricier traditional wine pairing. The bespoke drinks are as fun and creative as the food, and span a rainbow of colors, flavors, and textures that all pair smartly with what you're eating. Some highlights include a cucumber agua fresca sweetened with coriander syrup, rooibos tea mixed with aged vinegars, and a silky banana-chai milk punch that arrives with dessert.