The Bazaar at SLS Beverly Hills
The unusually named SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills is very cool and funky - from the red velvet elevator banks to the polished black granite and mirror walls in the rooms. This is the kind of hotel you either love or completely hate! Designed by Philippe Starck, the trendy ambiance follows you to The Bazaar: a unique restaurant located within this interesting hotel.
The Bazaar is a set of distinct spaces: a bar area with tall tables and sexy sofas, dining areas catering Chef Jose Andres' inventive Spanish cuisine and tapas, and also a tea lounge for a lazy afternoon tea surrounded by opulent and eclectic pieces of art.
Jose Andres is a well-known name in culinary circles, often credited with bringing the small plates concept to the United States. He has made The Bazaar one of the most interesting dinner destinations of Los Angeles. During our team dinner here, I had the opportunity to try several of his creative tapas presentations. As we chatted over wine and cocktails before dinner, they brought out his signature foie gras cotton-candy 'lollipops'. More novelty than taste I must say!
Dinner consisted of several interesting dishes. The tomato-watermelon skewers with a tangy lemon dressing was refreshing and pleasing to look at. The Sweet Potato Chips with a yogurt, tamarind and star anise dip was a creative rendition of an old favorite.
The Jamon Serrano dry cured Ham was quite delightful. This meat comes from the Spanish black Iberian pig and among the most premium cured ham available in the world.
Then came the Jicama wrapped Guacamole. Jicama is a Spanish root vegetable that resembles a turnip. They looked very lovely - every cuisine seems to have a form of dumpling and this is the Spanish variation from The Bazaar.
The Ultimate Spanish Tapa with Ensaladilla Rusa, potatoes, carrots, mayo and tuna belly. This dish sounded more interesting than it looked or tasted. The Organized Caesar salad was artfully served with a quail egg and parmesan cheese.
The next set of courses consisted of Criquettas of Chicken and Bechamel Fritters. Something fried is always good, right? The Sauteed Shrimp with Garlic and Guindilla Peppers was just ok.
The Baramundi, a variety of cod, was served with black garlic and scallions - I liked this one.
There was more! Catalan Spinach with apple, pine nuts and raisins followed by Seared Chicken and dates with mustard caviar and spicy mushroom greens - another winner for me!
Escalivada, a Catalan staple, is made of strips of roasted red peppers, sweet onions, and eggplant. Nice.
The Braised Wagyu beef cheeks were brilliant! This dish was topped with peeled sections of tangerines.
And finally one of this restaurant's popular dishes: The Philly Cheese Steak on air bread and cheddar. The crunchy shell covers a center of oozing cheesy goodness that tasted heavenly with the thin slices of steak. Amazing stuff!
I chose a warm chocolate dessert with a dark molten center that was a fitting end to this decadent Spanish dinner.
The Bazaar is great place for eclectic designer dining in cool, hip surroundings. The food does live up to its hype and is way different from the usual Californian fare that is the mainstay of most fancy restaurants in this part of the world. While they bring the concept of 'small plates' to town, the plates are anything but small. I guess Chef Andres has imbibed that bit of Americanism into his offering!