Dinner Diaries: Lou’Mar
Lou’Mar is located above Nerano in Beverly Hills and this is a location you absolutely cannot miss out on. When we say it’s an out of this world intimate dining experience we mean it.
Lou’Mar is an intimate dining experience that allows you to discover the fusion of South American and Asian flavors blended into creative dishes that will leave your tastebuds scintillated for more. The chef’s are respectively South Korean and Venezualan and these are the flavor profiles that they have blended showing us how two cultures can unite to bring you a dining experience you aren’t likely to forget anytime soon.
There is only one way to open your night here and that is one of Lou’Mar’s spectacular craft cocktails. We opted to try their famous Lou’Mar Garita (we see what they did there). It did not disappoint. This creative version of a margarita features jalapeño infused 400 conejos Mezcal, chambord, pineapple juice, fresh lemon juice, housemade simple syrup, and topped with a dehydrated lemon wheel and rimmed with charcoal salt. A winner, a king if you will of cocktails.
We kicked off our dinner with their Crispy Brie salad. We wanted to make sure you all knew we could be healthy with a salad, a decadent one at least. The salad comes with crispy brie bits with truffle honey, candied walnuts and radish on a bed of arugula. The entire dish is topped off with a aji amarillo as the dressing. To say it was chef’s kiss doesn’t even do this salad’s flavor profile justice.
Next on the menu we tried their Charred Octopus. Octopus can be a testy order. It is so easy to have it under or overcooked and Lou’Mar being the excellent dining destination it is has a level of quality control on their octopus that makes us assure you, that yes you should order it everytime and share (or don’t…share that is). Their Charred Octopus comes with Shishito peppers, fingerling potato, pork belly (yes!) a gochujang aioli and finally a sweet and spicy sauce. The combination makes for one of the most memorable tastings of octopus we have had to date. It is a must try.
We paired these with Lou’Mar’s Spa Martini. It is such a refreshing cocktail that consists of your choice of Botanist Gin (yes) or their house Vodka if you prefer (we don’t). The cocktail is then made with St. Germain, fresh lemon juice, a housemade simple syrup, freshly muddled cucumber and basil. Their Spa Martini is then garnished with a cucumber ribbon completing this stunning presentation that makes you feel you’ve escaped to a 5 star luxury spa.
Moving into our next selection we tried their Borracha Brisket Dumplings which are in a very very fine pastry that only enhances the flavor of the meat as it is served in a miso parmesean broth that will leave you wanting more. Our only complaint is the dish didn’t come in a giant serving bowl that fed about twenty people so we could pretend we had no choice but to polish it off.
Dearest readers, we didn’t know we would be converting religions but we did. We didn’t know the religious experience their Kimchi Manchego Lollpop would be but wow. We are ready to praise at the altar of this dish for the rest of our days. Shaped like a little chicken leg this dish is a creative take on popular croquetas that are so beloved in South America. The “lollipop” is filled with chicken, garlic aioli, as well as gochujang aioli and of course kimchi. When we say we had an out of body experience eating this delightful dish we mean you literally are a criminal and if you dine here and don’t try it at least once.
Moving onto the main mains we tried their Crispy Red Snapper. This dish features the fish on a bed of a bok choy griddle cake and a morel truffle sauce. The veggies made us feel like healthy, responsible adults, while the truffle helped remind us we are decadent creatures of pleasure. The dish was a hit.
Finally, to round up our main course experience we couldn’t pass up their incredible Soy Glazed Lamb Chops. The serving was large and the presentation was 10/10! Cooked medium rare the lamb comes in pickled fresno chili, cucumber kimchi, and sautéed beet greens. The meat was so tender and flavorful we know we will get it again next time we pop in.
*We’re so sorry it was so good we forgot to take a photo buuuut stay tuned for the video because there IS a video of this gem.
The home stretch came and dessert was on order which meant that we began with our dessert cocktail which was their George Michael. A fancy take on a classic espresso martini the flavor pairings in this cocktail were beyond anything we’ve experienced before. A perfect end to an evening saw this cocktail pair peanut butter whiskey, espresso, irish cream liquer, cointreau, and house bourbon topped with a dehydrated orange slice.
Dessert consisted of Lou’Mar’s deconstructed apple pie and a cotton candy cookie confection that is a sweet dream for sweet lovers.
Situated at 9960 S. Santa Monica Blvd, upstairs from Nerano, this sensational restaurant is poised to redefine the dining scene in Beverly Hills. You can head to their website to make your reservations today.
*Image thumbnail for article credit to Andrew Jin*
