Alice in Los Angeles: The Bazaar by José Andrés

Alice in Wonderland, written by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under a different pen name, narrates a story of a little girl who jumps in a hole following a white rabbit and finds herself in different adventures in an unusual, fantastical realm full of fun.

Lauded as the rabbit hole of the gourmet wonderland of Los Angeles, The Bazaar by José Andrés is situated in SLS Hotels Beverly Hills, one of the most popular hotels in the city.

Filled with a passion for gastronomy, José Andrés was a young man who came to the United States with a few bucks in his pocket during the early 60’s; today, he’s appeared on Time’s most influential lists and has become a giant of this industry with numerous restaurants throughout the States with his creative interpretation of Spanish dishes like his friend Ferran Adrian prepares.

He continues to be a magnet of admiration through his restaurant The Bazaar which was opened in 2008 and designed by Philipp Starck. It has a bar in the middle where liquid nitrogen makes a good show and several fabulous cocktails are served, a terrace in the entrance, a chef’s room intended for special guests, Rojo y Blanca where you can taste magnificent savors in petite plates and a vibrant patisserie; each of these areas has fine details pleasurable to every customer.

The main dining area Rojo y Blanca where I also preferred to dine in while watching the kitchen, has a dimly-lit yet captivating atmosphere where the glass tables and the red neon lights came together.

The Bazaar is not the kind of restaurant where the food is not served in classical menus which list amuse-bushes, appetizers and main dishes; rather it serves tapas and fun petite dishes. We started our night by choosing from these little snacks listed on the long menu of the restaurant.

While it was a sauce variety from Central America and Cuba, with the Spanish invasion of America, guacamole has become more associated with matadors. It is essentially a side dish which is made with mashed avocado, tomato and a pinch of salt. We had a fine interpretation of guacamole which was put in a radish wrap.

The next thing we had was caviar inside a paper-thin cornet pastry. Although its presentation was sexy, it left a vague taste in our palates.

Following the caviar, we had pipirrana, a kind of Spanish salad which is made with Andalusian vegetables and sea-urchin and was served filled into dumplings, a bun-like bread. With their presentation in a wooden steam basket resembling that of “dim sum,” these sea urchins in these little burgers couldn’t excel in taste like their Aegean counterparts.

Right after the pipirrana, the oyster made its appearance. Even although it was flavored with lemon and jamon cream, to be honest, I don’t prefer my oyster either fried in oil like here nor cooked in a pan. I think it is better consumed uncooked and fresh.

Another flavor to be enjoyed better when eaten uncooked is iberico jamon. This fatty and tasty meat also called “pata negra” is made from a special breed of pig which has black hooves and feed only on plants. The more these tamed Iberian pigs feed on acorns and the longer time one gives the meat to dry on its own, it becomes tastier. When this “second to none” ham is produced with best quality, it is consumed uncooked like in Turkey.

Our feast went on with iberico jamon, which was thrown upon (not scrambled with) some village eggs fried in a pan and served with some bread which was baked until they turned out be like croutons but not necessarily as crispy as croutons. This scrumptious and plain dish proves how important the quality of ingredients are to the taste of the food.

The dish of sautéed shrimps was served with some garlic in it. In addition to this mixture which is a popular one in tapas menus in Spain; peculiar to Basque region, “guindilla” pepper is another staple ingredient adding another color to the mixture.

The other sea food that we chose was King crab, which was sautéed and fried in a wok. Served on a bed of paella which has become a Valencian icon, and with some chives spread on top of that mixture, it certainly was worth ordering.

With the creativity expected from this restaurant, chicken croquettes were presented in an ice shoe making its walk of fame before the other customers. As for its taste, I can say it successfully deep-fried.

In Philly Cheesteak, Wagyu beefsteak was sliced into carpaccio thickness and served on top of a piece of soft fried dough food filled with cheese that almost resembles boortsog (Tr. pişi). This “finger food” snack that cooks a bit when in touch with this balloon-like dough, was very similar to wagyu tataki!

Our last choice of main dishes ended the night in the peak: Wagyu beef cheeks in tandoor. Probably the Japanese did not even think of cooking this savory meat in tandoor! Also pleasurable to the eye with the baked black potatoes and white potatoes, the taste of melt-in-the-mouth wagyu beef had a ravishing taste, boosted with its “mojo sojo” sauce peculiar to the Canary Islands.

After the main course, if you want to complement it with a dessert session in The Bazaar, the waiter guides you to the “dessert room.” With a wide variety of desserts exhibited in front of a wall covered with pink stones, the room looks like where the tea parties are held in Alice in Wonderland.

From the desserts that we chose, we like these best: Pan Con Chocolate which consists of chocolate flan with caramelized bread, olive oil and brioche ice cream; Traditional Spanish Flan featuring citrus, and resembling “caramel custard” and “Crème Brûlée”; and the ice cream and sorbet selection with white chocolate ice-cream and lemon flavor which I think was like ekmek kadayıfı of the Spanish.

As I said before, there is a terrace area with a roof on the left in the entrance, which looks like a balcony. Likened to a bay window decorated tastefully, this area is a great place to enjoy your cigars and sip your digestives.

As most of the star-awarded restaurants are closed down nowadays, the fact that The Bazaar mixed with its creative tapas menus with its colorful atmosphere distinct from that of a serious refined restaurant made it one of the big names of the city.

On top of that, the restaurant happened to be an exception in my attitude towards crowded restaurants. Although it is difficult for me to enjoy such packed places with this capacity, I had a pleasant night in this unusual atmosphere accompanied by Spanish flavors, although it has a capacity of 417 people.

So as a result, I recommend it to the people who think “a restaurant should be as pleasurable to the eye as it is to the palate!”

Bon appétit and enjoy the taste of life…

http://sbe.com/restaurants/locations/thebazaar-beverlyhills/
5900 Wilshire Blvd.
31st Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90036
+1 323 655 8000