The Setai Miami Beach has enjoyed an incredible reputation as one of the city’s most elegant if not most expensive hotels. Honoring the art deco heritage of South Beach, this oceanfront all-suite retreat occupies a restored 1936 building. Effectively and organically infusing Asian elements into the overall ambience, this hospitality icon has been winning the hearts of demanding guests since it opened in 2004.
Boasting a well-deserved, impressive management and service culture, The Setai has constantly been innovating under the consistent and careful watch of General Manager Alex Furrer who has been with the hotel since its opening.
The Setai: icon of innovative design, attentive, anticipatory service, and refined innovation. That is a feat in and of itself in the bacchanalia-like atmosphere for which South Beach has been known. But this ethos is carried into its two dining venues. We had the pleasure of indulging in one of them: Jaya at The Setai, which has been enjoying more than a bit of buzz and accolades in a tough dining scene which includes Nobu and Stubborn Seed.
Style
With executive Chef Vijay Veena at the helm, Jaya’s menu sees innovations on classic Indian specialties and tantalizing takes on Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese classics. Peking Duck dances with naan while dumplings canoodle with curries. Jaya means “victory” in Sanskrit and there’s no doubt that this restaurant’s cuisine achieves that. Jaya serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, plus a Sunday Jazz Brunch (with repeated references to overflowing Roederer). It’s easy to tell that thought and a desire to continuously innovate goes into each menu without the continuous reliance on the usual standards, like avocado toast and omelet stations at breakfast. Imaginative refinement also extends to Jaya’s setting as well: intimate, rather sedate indoors peppered with brilliant bursts of color from The Setai’s famed floral arrangements, adding a vibrant pulse to the darker, upscale ambiance. But Jaya’s outdoors-y courtyard setting, under a retractable roof, offers a livelier diversion. Like city’s 1950’s heydays, there’s an early evening show. Fountains erupt over live entertainment that includes a fire dancer, contortionist, and aerialist, all choreographed to tunes from the resident DJ. If you’re here with friends for a birthday, party on. If you’re craving a bit of peaceful intimacy, then perhaps a later reservation or dinner inside would be a worthier option. This is Miami, after all. The food is exceptional at any time.
