José Andrés is working to redefine the way Angelenos view restaurant dining. At SLS Hotel, The Bazaar is a multifaceted gastronomic pleasure palace that’s pretty much unrivaled in terms of variety, theater and innovation. The brunch menu featured several seemingly familiar options. Thankfully, nothing it as it seems at The Bazaar.

It was a sunny day, so we sat on the covered patio, overlooking jam-packed La Cienega Boulevard. Sitting on the patio is kind of like dining inside a cabinet of curiosities. There’s so much eye candy, and not just at other tables. Orange walls host decorative masks and framed art. Shelves hold colorful baubles, books and pottery. The overall effect nearly led to my brain short-circuiting.

The brunch menu implores diners to “Viva Los Huevos” – Live The Eggs. Five of the six menu items involve eggs. More specifically, dishes incorporate eggs that are cooked precisely at 63 degrees Celsius until the proteins bind. This method leads to perfectly “poached” eggs every time.

We each started with a Tortilla de Patatas “New Way” ($5 per person), a molecular send-up of a Spanish tortilla. Dig down into the shell with your spoon and dig out distinct layers of gooey egg, airy potato foam, caramelized diced potatoes and chives.

12 Tiny Eggs Sunny Side Up ($12), a.k.a. Huevos a la Cubana, were dedicated to native Cuban Andy Garcia. He should feel honored. A crispy jasmine rice cake was topped with a crisp-edged disc made with 12 visually stunning quail eggs, crispy shavings of jamon Serrano, dabs of intensely flavorful tomato puree and a drizzle of diced chives.

In Spain, torrijas is similar to French toast, but in José Andrés’ mind, Savory Spanish Torrijas ($18) involve silky folds of well-marbled Iberico ham, moist griddle cakes, egg 63, crispy sage leaves and Idiazabal, a creamy Basque sheep’s milk cheese. Get a taste of each component on your fork and it’s hard to imagine a better brunch option.

Warm Salmon “Smoked at the Moment” ($14) featured a rosy fillet of perfectly moist sous vide salmon set atop firm chickpea pancakes (socca cakes). The plate also showcased deconstructed “tzatziki” with dabs and dices of yogurt, olive oil, dill, cucumber and fava beans. This was a summery but still satisfying dish.

SLS beverage director Lucas Paya and lead bartender Ben Browning collaborated on six dazzling Brunch Specialty Drinks, and Paya served us four of them.

Paya spent five years as an El Bulli sommelier and worked as a Manhattan wine buyer before catching on with José Andrés in D.C. He said that at SLS, the kitchen and bar complement each other, sharing techniques and technologies to produce the most balanced cocktails possible.

Paya said their approach with The Bazaar’s brunch cocktails was to “put together a list of cocktails recognizable at brunch, familiar to everybody. Give them a trick to make things a little different. Make them beyond average, more sophisticated or presented in a different way.”

SLS is a wholesale account for Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea. As a result, Paya had the opportunity to collaborate with Intelligentsia’s Nick Griffith on a coffee cocktail. Griffith recently placed second at the United States Barista Championship, and for competitions, he must create well-balanced signature drinks.

Spanish Coffee ($14) is a variation on Irish Coffee that uses premium Spanish brandy (Duque d’Alba). Paya said they switched to Brandy because the liquor fits better with their Spanish theme and because, “It’s a much more delicate drink with brandy, softer, more integrated.” The martini glass also holds a mix of hot espresso and coffee sweetened with dissolved brown sugar, cold whipped cream, an orange sugar rim and an orange zest finish. The balanced cocktail delivers a remarkable textural and temperature contrast.

Cava Mimosa ($14) was an ultra-refreshing selection that served as a palate cleanser after the bold coffee. The Bazaar’s mimosa utilizes a different fresh-squeezed citrus juice each week. In this case: pink grapefruit. It’s topped with foam made from (and flecked with) the same citrus. Paya finished the sparkling cocktail tableside with a healthy pour of chilled Segura Viudos Gran Reserva Heredad.

The Bazaar’s Bloody Mary ($16) was recognizable as a Bloody Mary, but incorporated some innovations that took the drink to new heights. Paya said his spicy base is fairly traditional, a mix of fresh tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire, lime juice, salt and pepper. To create the celery-wasabi foam cap, Paya loads wasabi-infused lime juice and parsley puree into a CO2 canister. The topper: Sal de Gusano, an Oaxacan salt that combines chile, worm and salt. That’s right, worm. “Gusano” means “worm” in Spanish. This drink has some real pop and a spicy finish.

To demonstrate the full extent of The Bazaar’s molecular arsenal, Paya concluded the tasting by preparing a Tableside “Nitro” Blood Orange Screwdriver ($20), made with frozen liquid nitrogen, blood orange and EFFEN vodka.

Paya poured from a thermos of liquid nitrogen and a bottle of pre-made cocktail into a mixing bowl and began to whisk as the nitrogen smoked, creating an alcoholic slushee. Paya finished the cocktail by grating on coffee bean and orange zest. He said they experimented with chocolate nib and vanilla syrup, but liked coffee and orange best. The refreshing, citrusy slush looked dramatically different, but still tasted like a best-in-class screwdriver. This was by design. “We changed the texture,” said Paya, “but I want you to recognize you’re drinking a screwdriver.”

In case you don’t want alcohol at brunch, The Bazaar also produces a very good House Made Lemonade ($6) that incorporates fresh-squeezed lemon juice and rosemary syrup.

The Bazaar’s groundbreaking brunch menu is seemingly limited, but every single item we ate or drank was innovative and delicious. You also have the option to turn the page and discover dozens of Modern Tapas and Traditional Tapas. The Bazaar clearly isn’t about limitations.

Related Posts

1. The Making of a Cocktail: Spanish Coffee
2. The Bazaar – Los Angeles, CA – August 4, 2009
3. Lawry’s (Classic Cocktail Tasting) – Beverly Hills, CA – May 19, 2008
4. Oliverio – Beverly Hills, CA – October 7, 2009
5. Mexico Restaurante Offers Sunday Brunch and Happy Hour

1. MyLastBite, May 25, 2009:

   Makes me want to go back for brunch NOW. Especially for the Torrijas!!

2. Joshua Lurie, May 25, 2009:

   Jo,

   I read your post about The Bazaar brunch. People posing with chefs is a really good sign.

3. Uncouth Gourmands, May 29, 2009:

   I am impressed that you went for the $20 Screwdriver. That was a little too pricey for our taste, we stuck with beer, and a ridiculous amount of food.
   I loved the 12 eggs sunny side up, that was superb.
   Here is our review to compare notes http://uncouthgourmands.com/2009/04/14/how-bizarre-at-the-baazar/

This entry is filed under Breakfast, California, Los Angeles, Southern California, Tapas, Westside.