Tag Archives: Chocolate Souffle

Belvedere at The Peninsula – Simple and Elegant

24 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by in Food, French Food, Lifestyle

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It had been so manys years since I had the good fortune of dining at the Belvedere, before the restaurant was renovated to its current state.

I remembered the food to be superb, service excellent, but most of all, I felt really comfortable and at ease in its elegant surrounding. When DineLA came along, I was very thankful that Belvedere was brought up as one of the option – it was a little answered prayer.

The updated version of the restaurant looked not too different from what we remembered the place to be. Seemed a little bit more airy, perhaps due to the fact that I was seated facing the large windows with a very serene view of the garden-like setting.

This time, however, I did not feel as at ease as the previous. It might had been that the table was a smaller one situated in between two other tables that were placed rather closed to ours. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the people watching part since I could see very much of the whole dining room area from where I was.

The food was as good as I had hoped. We both ordered the French Onioin Soup to start. It was probably the only version that I had tasted that was not too salty – I do not understand why every single one I tried in the past had always been extremely salty. It was rich and flavorful with the largest piece of cheese topping that eventually filled us up so much that I was not even able to finish my entree.

The Duck Confit Orecchiette that I picked, though tasty, had a bit too much pasta in proportion to the duck. I actually found the Pork Belly with the Sweet Breads to be more enjoyable and satisfying, with the pork reminiscent of the Chinese roasted pork that I so adore.

 

Dessert was a perfect looking Chocolate Souffle of which I did not try since I was not having chocolate for that day. I opted for a simple Vanilla Ice Cream which did provide a soothing finish to a most pleasant and gratifying afternoon.

The Belvedere at the Peninsula Hotel: 9882 S Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212  Phone: 310-975-2736

 

 

 

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Spago

01 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by in American Food, Food

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Spago – Wolfgang Puck, names that need no introduction.

It was probably over 20 years ago that I was in Spago for the first time. Back then the restaurant was still at at the West Hollywood location. I don’t even recall  how the food was, but it did not make too much of an impression for me back then.

Still, I wanted to try Spago for a second time at the new location in Beverly Hills. I finally had the chance yesterday. I chose a Sunday since I know the traffic would be better. I managed to find a parking space on the street about 3 blocks away.

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The interior of the restaurant felt airy and clean, it is probably one of the more comfortable setting I have been to in a while. There is an outside courtyard seating area. The inside of the restaurant is actually much bigger than it looks from the outside.

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Our waiter is a young fellow who seemed very easy going and made me feel quite at ease. The older gentleman who brought me the bread and cappuccino seemed happy working there, and had a constant smile on his face. He was like a nice grandfather that made me feel relaxed and warm inside.

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I decided to ordered two pastas to start: the Handmade Agnolotti with Sweet Peas, and a Squid Ink Garganelli with Lobster.

The Agnolotti w/sweet peas is a pasta dough folded over with the sweet peas fillings – the texture was elegantly smooth and velvety, rich but not heavy, with a slight sweetness, definitely one of the best pasta dish I have tried.

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The Squid Ink pasta was equally good in its own way, light and delicate in taste. The lobster was delightfully tender and fresh.

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I had the Crispy Scale Maine Black Bass for my entree, while my companion had the Grilled Veal Chop (the waiter said that the veal chop is one of the Signature dish). I thought that the fish was exquisitely done, the skin was crispy but not hard, and the flesh was cooked just perfectly, really an outstanding dish.

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The portion size of the Veal Chop was rather substantial. The meat was exceptionally flavorful, tender and juicy.

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Even thought I was rather full by this time, I really wanted to try the Chocolate Souffle. The souffle was baked in a plastic punch so it was very moist. It came with a side of delicious chocolate sauce and gelato. The dessert was very rich, a tad too sweet, but I did manage to finish most of it.

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Spago – 176 N. Canon Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210   Phone: 310-385-0880