Nothing at The Bazaar is what it seems.

Located at the uber trendy SLS Hotel, Chef Jose Andres has been wowing guests with his famous brand of molecular gastronomy for ages (4-5 years in LA speak).

It has been exactly four years since I last went, as you can see here (I’ve obviously upgraded cameras since then) and surprisingly not much has changed.

Another reason I know not much has changed is that no kale has popped up on the menu! I salute thee, SLS! You’re probably the only restaurant to “just say no!”

We even ordered several of the same menu items from four years ago. Even one thing we should have avoided last time and sadly, the dish (ceviche) has not improved.

But we loved everything else!

Tonight, we dined in honor of Sonigram moving across the world to NYC. Cheers to you and the best of luck! Try not to choke on a slice of pizza. Kidding, we love you. But, still, don’t choke or anything.

The menu (all small plates) is divided into two main sections: Traditional and Modern Tapas.

Even the traditional tapas had some kind of unique spin on things. There is so much attention (and science) attributed to each dish, you need to sit back and admire for a moment before diving in.

Our absolute favorite dish of the evening was the Jicama Wrapped Guacamole. I love jicama and love how they were able to slice it so thin and fill it with spicy guac and a few teeny tiny tortilla crumbles to create a lil bite ‘o’ Mexico.

Some other items we loved were pretty much any of the fritters (I seem to be the only one that fully appreciated the carrot fritters, some folks just don’t care about good eyesight) as well as the most popular “Philly Cheesesteak” which come ingeniously on these little puffed, melted cheese stuffed breads topped with a few petite slices of Wagyu beef. Note: the cheese is messy and will leave your hands in an obscene state afterwards. Laugh and then move on.

Cocktails are fun yet pricey (we are in a hotel, after all) but nott nearllye boozie enoughh fore my likingg. Theyy may hav bin nonalcoholicc.

The Bazaar is a must do LA restaurant but be prepared to spend some dough. So, make it a special occasion place and you won’t feel so guilty. Like if someone is moving away and you hope they don’t choke. Perfect place for that.

SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
465 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 246-5567
thebazaar.com