Spearheading the grand opening and re-branding is Dr. Michael Everest, who runs a matching service and consultancy for foreign medical doctor graduates by day before turning restaurateur by night. Everest reopened Naya as two entities. The Naya Lounge is “a dark, moody, gothic/Moroccan scene replete with high ceilings, carved wooden arches, a marble bar and comfortable seating,” while the Naya Sunset is the venue’s restaurant half, where chef Imram Ali Mookhi serves a dining menu “steeped in tradition but delivered with an updated twist.”

 

The Naya Lounge and Naya Sunset complement each other, the former serving as the newest hot spot for Los Angeles’ trendy partygoers and lounge seekers, the latter a destination for romantic dates and connoisseurs of elegant dining experiences.

 

Naya Lounge patrons are exposed to live music and deejays, light food and such unique cocktails as the Spa in Goa, a mixing of Don Julio Blanco, lime juice, nectar, jalapeño and cucumber; Buddha’s Bed, featuring Stoli Vanil, Liquor 43 and pineapple juice; Simla Cure, Naya’s signature Bloody Mary recipe combined with spice-infused vodka; and The Dancing Lotus, with Belvedere, Cointreau, lychee juice and pomegranate juice.

 

The “Bar Bites” include such items as Spiced Peanuts, Tempura & Garbanzo Battered Onion Rings with Spiced Ketchup, assorted Samosas, Silky Lamb Kabob, Naya Burger Sliders and Naan Pizzas. Those who would rather enjoy a quite dinner in the posh and elegantly-designed Naya Sunset have a myriad of menu options while seated in a comfortable dining room with dimmed lighting and fine dining furniture.

 

The dining room has white billowing curtains covering the walls from ceiling to floor with red accents and white leather banquettes surrounding a handful of small dining tables. 

 

From the menu, patrons may choose a small dish, an entrée or a side dish. The small plates include Spiced Peanuts, featuring roasted peanuts with chili paste and a twist of lemon juice, or the Samosa varieties made with spinach and tofu, kidney beans and cheese, potato and peas, feta cheese, and arugula and walnut. 

 

The Goat Cheese Medallion Salad highlights fried-curried goat cheese, mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, shallots, carrots, minty-orange jus and toasted papadums; while Sasha’s Garlic Prawns boasts carom-cumin marinated jumbo shrimp that are tandoori roasted and served with a pomegranate chutney.

 

Key entrees include Butter Chicken Masala, Everest Lamb, Lemon Chili Scallops and Filet Mignon Breakfast Curry.

Popular side dishes include such tasty vegetable options as Fenugreek and Green Pea Curry, Sesame Stir Fried Cauliflower, Yellow Lentil Stew, Seasoned Okra, Garbanzo Bean Stew, Black Rice, Saffron Rice and a range of Naan breads. 

 

Naya’s dessert menu features such unique items as Cardamom-Infused Rice Pudding with Ice Cream, Rose Donut with Chilled Pineapple, and Chocomosa, a dark chocolate-filled Samosa. Cocktails start at $12 in Naya Lounge, while food ranges from $5 for small bites to $26 for main courses in Naya Sunset. 

 

Spacecraft Group, a hospitality design and construction firm, crafted Naya’s new look and is responsible for the aesthetics of several restaurants and nightclubs that have opened across Los Angeles since 2007. 

 

In addition to the main dining room area and the trendy lounge, Naya offers a 1200-square foot private party space for groups up to 50, as well as the Naya Garden, an 800-square foot covered back patio with multiple fireplaces, lounge seating, lush landscaping, a fountain and tile floors.

 

Naya is located at 3705 West Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake, halfway between Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles. Naya Lounge is open daily from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Naya Sunset serves dinner from 6 p.m. to midnight nightly. For reservations call 323-663-8268 or e-mail info@nayasunset.com. For parties, filming, photo shoots, catering and private events, contact events@nayasunset.com.