Last week I had the pleasure of trying out SOCA, a globally inspired steak & seafood restaurant located in Sherman Oaks! My friend and I stopped by on a weekday evening and the place surprisingly filled up. That’s when know the food is good.

We decided to sit outside for happy hour (3 – 7 pm) since it was such a beautiful day out.

For starters, we got the olives from their Happy Hour menu along with the Korean-inspired dumplings from the appetizers list. The dumplings pack a little bit of heat, so if you order them be sure you’re comfortable with spicy foods! We also added the vegan risotto to share, which was impressively packed with flavor. Everything that came out was so beautiful (they do say that you eat with your eyes first!).

For our main courses, we ordered the duck breast and the striped bass. Normally I’m not one to go for gamey meats like duck, but when done well it’s one of my favorite proteins. Having grown up in a Taiwanese family, eating duck-three-ways, Peking-style for special occasions was always a treat.

The duck breast this time was so beautifully seared and cooked to a perfect medium, topped with colorful root vegetables and a hoisin cherry chutney. I’d go back for this dish in a heartbeat!

Dessert is a must for me, so we made a couple of picks that blew our minds away. The star of the night was the beautiful smattering of sweets called “Enchanted Forest,” a plate of sweets almost too beautiful to eat.

Huge thanks to the SOCA team for the amazing evening at your restaurant!