Art From Distant Shores : From Afghanistan to Vietnam, Eastern cultures are represented in numerous shops along PCH.
Eyes to the East? Head west to Pacific Coast Highway. Exquisite Asian artifacts can be found in Laguna Beach at Khyber Pass and Warren Imports. No less than five dealers in Asian carpets, including Orient Handel, ply their wares along a stretch of Corona del Mar. Aysia 101, a smart-looking new restaurant, just opened on Mariners Mile in Newport Beach.
MORNING, 1,2
Khyber Pass specializes in rugs, art and artifacts from Afghanistan. The shop plans to convert soon to a cultural art museum with gift shop and rotating exhibits. Among many impressive items not for sale are a Turkman crown appointed with coins and jewels, ceremonial vests and a jade-and-lapis chess set designed by owner Sadiq Tawfiq. Rugs depicting helicopters and hand grenades served as military “newsletters” during the Afghan war. Other rugs range from $300 to $20,000 and more. A video about making rugs in Afghanistan screens continuously. An added bonus: Violinist Mihail Chiriuc often can be heard practicing popular Romanian music at the shop.
Warren Imports specializes in Far East fine arts, notably Chinese objects ranging from the 2nd century B.C. to vast collections of porcelains, bronzes, cloisonne and furniture from China’s Ming (14th to 17th century) and Ching (17th century to 1912) dynasties; the gallery also includes Korean, Japanese, Burmese and Indian collections. Items range from tiny snuff bottles to life-size Buddhas. Among the most fascinating is a 2,170-year-old (it’s been thermoluminescence-dated) Han Dynasty pottery horse with warrior priced at $45,000. A Ming Dynasty “scholar’s rock” was intended as an aid to meditation. Cricket cages housed fighting crickets. Ming Dynasty chests and other furniture now look contemporary: “It will fit with Italian furniture. It will fit with French furniture,” staff member Carey Conklin said of one large cabinet.
LUNCH, 3
For a quick bite, consider the new Asian Bistro, which offers Chinese and Vietnamese cuisines among bamboo and pagoda motifs. Most Chinese lunch items run less than $5. The Vietnamese beef noodle soup, pho, is made with an oxtail broth ($5). Beers include 33 Export from Vietnam and Singha from Thailand (each $3.25).
AFTERNOON, 4
Corona del Mar is a mecca for Asian carpet enthusiasts. Dealers include Persian Treasure Rugs, Amir Rug Gallery, Kismet Rug Gallery and Shah ‘N Shah Oriental Rugs. Orient Handel is the most visible and perhaps most inviting. Note the beaded peacock tapestry from Thailand and the gold-threaded tiger shroud, which India’s maharajahs would have used to cover a coffin a century ago. A rug from Tehran of similar age hangs near owner Hashem Kermani’s desk, as does a gold-and-silk “tree of life” rug from Tabriz. Rugs start at $70, but the sky’s the limit.
DINNER, 5
The striking exterior of the two-story structure remains the same, but to create Aysia 101, owner-chef John Sharpe (whose West Coast Productions also operates Diva in Costa Mesa, Topaz in Santa Ana and Bistro 201 two blocks north) radically transformed the former digs of John Dominis to showcase seven Asian cultures and cuisines. The interior palette uses varying shades of yellow, orange and rust. The decor changes from room to room, but the cuisines, namely Indonesian, Malaysian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Thai, are available wherever you sit.
The Java Terrace features Javanese daybeds (for sitting); elsewhere you might spot Balinese stone carvings or a carving of Vishnu flying to heaven atop Garuda. Sharpe’s wife, Patricia, painted the Balinese dragons at the Dragon Bar. The Tiger Bar has a “Raiders of the Lost Ark” feel. The sushi bar, its white ceiling resembling a winged star ship, overlooks Lido Channel. Huge humidors serve the Bali Terrace; you can smoke cigars beneath its purple, yellow and cardinal red umbrellas.
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1) Khyber Pass
1970 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, (949) 494 8284.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
2) Warren Imports
1910 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, (949) 494-6505.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
3) Asian Bistro
2600 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, (949) 720-1289.
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
4) Orient Handel
2421 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, (949) 673-2224.
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
5) Aysia 101
2901 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, (949) 722-4128.
4-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 4 p.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday.
Parking / Buses
Parking: There is metered street parking at Laguna Beach locations, free street parking in Corona del Mar and valet parking at Aysia 101.
Buses: OCTA bus No. 1 runs along Pacific Coast Highway.
