Bone marrow onigiriCredit: Irvin Rivera

It’s listed on the menu as bone marrow onigiri, and the order comes with two beautifully constructed culinary gifts. Little triangles of sticky rice are lightly drizzled with tare sauce and placed at the folds of two long strips of nori. Dollops of whipped bone marrow rest atop the rice. And on top of that are little scoops of trout roe and finely chopped chives, each adding a splash of color and more flavor.

The twin packages look so pretty. But I’m not normally a big fan of bone marrow, so I wait for my husband to give it a taste. He sinks his teeth into one and says, affirmatively, “It’s good. It’s really good.” And he’s right. A bite delivers a mouthful of tastes and textures. First there’s the chewy crunch and umami notes of the nori, then the sticky-softness and sweet hints of the rice and tare. The silky, rich, savory profile of the bone marrow comes next, followed by a burst of salty-sweetness from the trout roe and grassy notes of the chives. There’s a lot going on in such a small package, perfect for practicing mindful eating because you’ll want to enjoy every single element.

The same can be said for almost every dish at Sonder DTSA, a cool, cozy spot along North Spurgeon Street in Santa Ana. A venture by siblings Diane and Lamson Nguyen, it opened this past October, right next door to Lamson’s first restaurant, Kaizen Shabu, which has been in operation since 2018. When the adjacent space became available, it presented the perfect opportunity for the siblings to team up. To execute their dream on the culinary side, they tapped Nate Overstreet, an accomplished executive chef who was behind Anaheim Packing House’s Wheat & Sons butcher and rotisserie, and San Clemente’s Parlor (which made Orange Coast’s list of Best New Restaurants last year), among other dining spots in O.C. and beyond. He’s joined in the kitchen by Ashly Amador.

The scallops are skewered and seasoned with crushed Sichuan chili.Credit: Irvin Rivera

Although the menu changes with the season, you’ll see approachable offerings like a little gem salad, baby beets, skewered hanger steak and scallops, chicken wings, and a bone-in beef short rib, alongside more exotic-sounding dishes such as pork belly and escargot fried rice, and blue crab conserva with tarragon, Korean chili, olive oil, and blue corn sourdough. But even those aforementioned approachable dishes have unique twists. The scallops, for example, are seasoned and seared with crushed Sichuan chili, which forms a delicious red crust on the surface of three plump rounds. Those are then plated in a luscious pool of Sichuan chili sauce. Shrimp brown butter gives the hanger steak extra oomph. And the beets are charred, giving them a smokey flavor and crisp exterior. They arrive in a bowl atop a mixture of fresh wasabi and crème fraîche, with bits of toasted garlic and a drizzle of nori vinaigrette. Another winner: the purple Okinawan sweet potato, which is mashed and mixed with beef tallow, then garnished with egg yolk “bottarga,” lemon, and pickled sea beans. “I’d come back just for those beets and the sweet potato,” says my husband, Art, who typically doesn’t care for either of those root vegetables.

We ordered a selection of dishes from each section of the menu, which is organized by category. Binchotan Charcoal Grill is where you’ll find the skewers, including flavorful chicken oysters, named for the size and shape of the cuts, which are taken from the back side of the bird, near the lower spine and thighs. These are brined in buttermilk and tare sauce, so they’re super-tender and tasty.

On the Starters menu, besides the bone marrow onigiri and little gem salad (which is dressed in a unique black vinegar Caesar), we ordered the fresh dill milk buns. I love milk bread and, like Parker House Rolls, if I spot it on a menu, I’ve got to give it a try. Sonder’s iteration, coming four rolls to a plate with soft butter and Maldon salt, did not disappoint. The dill is very subtle; you may not even notice it’s there.

The Plates section is where the chicken wings, and the pork belly and escargot fried rice reside, along with cold smoked tofu with ginger, chives, lemon zest, and salsa Macha, and a mortadella banh mi zhuzhed up with pistachio mayo, pickled carrot, and daikon, among other goodies. We went with the bone-in beef short rib, fall-off-the-bone tender and bathed in a luscious rockfish tonnato sauce with a few radishes to finish the dish.

For a sweet ending, guests can choose between two treats, a pandan butterscotch pudding (green from the pandan) with whipped crème fraîche and smoked Maldon salt, and a black sesame walnut pie with a matcha and evaporated milk ice cream.

“The offerings are elevated, but the space is very much like being invited into a friend’s home,” Diane says. Indeed, the decor conjures images of an auntie’s living room, sourced objects like crystal candy dishes, tall carafes, and decorative plates populate bookshelves along with volumes of vinyl record jackets. The tableware is pretty and deliberately mismatched, carefully selected by Diane, who scoured secondhand shops looking for just the right pieces. Also deliberate, the displays of record jackets. Music comes by way of a DJ spinning tunes, and every Wednesday is BYOV night, bring your own vinyl.

The bar program features about a dozen craft cocktails with names like Kozmic Blues, a clarified milk punch with tequila, Xila liqueur, hibiscus, ancho, pomegranate, and honey syrup. The ’Bout It is made of black tea-infused Casa Noble, cranberry and orange peel cordial, and Champagne. You’ll also find mocktails, beer, and wine. I ordered the sangria, a stellar mixture of cabernet sauvignon, blackberry brandy, triple sec, and seasonal fruit, with a Luxardo cherry tossed in for good measure. And here’s a reason to drink one, or two: A dollar from the sale of sangria goes to Zero Foodprint, a nonprofit that helps fund regenerative farming efforts. “We also touch upon sustainability,” Diane notes. “The bar and kitchen work together to use each other’s scraps to reduce waste. … Sonder is built on intention.” Just like the bone marrow onigiri.

301 N. Spurgeon St.
Santa Ana
sonderdtsa.com

HOURS
Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 to 11 p.m.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Closed on Monday

PRICE RANGE
Starters, $13 to $24
Binchotan Charcoal Grill, $7 to $22
Shared Plates, $14 to $55
Sides, $4 to $12
Dessert, $13 to $14