out and about: the marine room lounge
stone brewing: delicious ipa
rip tide: monkey 47 gin, st. germain, lemon juice, simple syrup, sparkling rose
Went to eat at local hotspot, and longtime hometown favorite, the marine room. While the long time chef of my childhood has been replaced, the change comes with an updated lounge experience and menu that is completely different from the main dinning room experience.
And it was to the lounge we were headed. The lounge is the perfect spot for people like us, who love sharing multiple smaller appetizer/tappas type plates, verses heavier main courses. Not to mention it comes with a view. A very lovely view right on the water of la jolla shores.
We started off with beer and cocktails (per usual). I tried the rip tide, which was a fancy take on a french 75… so y’all knew that’s the one I’d be ordering it. I loved the addition of st. germaine; and a sparkling rose? Say what? Making my own version asap.
dry aged bluefin tuna carpaccio: lemon oil, ginger, yuzu, black winter truffle, garlic chili aioli
When I tell you this tuna was to die for. I mean, literally it was to die for. Jamie doesn’t think he’s every had a better raw tuna dish. And the tasty, crunchy ginger crystals? They just took it too a whole other level.
Even just writing about it makes me want to go back and eat it.
japanese A5 nigiri: sushi rice, drunken wagyu, miso butter, osetra caviar
Yet again, another perfectly balanced bite. The wagyu was so tender and literally melted in your mouth, while simultaneously being amazingly flavorful. I kid you not, I could have eaten 10 of them. Seriously perfect.
spanish octopus: smoked cauliflower puree, mojo rojo, crispy quinoa, shishito, soy glaze
When queried, this was our waitresses favorite dish on the lounge menu. It wasn’t our favorite - but that’s just because the tuna and wagyu beat it to the finish line.
Any other menu, any other restaurant… totally agree. This was a fantastic dish. The octopus was perfectly cooked. Tender, easily cut with a fork, and super flavorful. Complimented with the shisito peppers (we won the lottery, not one was spicy), and the cauliflower puree was the perfect vehicle for all the flavors, and perfectly made.
The quinoa lent a perfect crunch, and the soy glaze brought everything home. 10 out of 10. One of the best octopus preparations I’ve had. And I say that as someone who prepares her own octopus.
surf and turf: hokkaido scallop, kurobuta pork belly, caviar, bacon whiskey jam
Love that these are two different proteins, prepared to highlight their own strengths, but with the same accoutrements. And as such, they need to be discussed separately.
But suffice to say; a more perfect surf and turf has never been seen. It’s really the perfect duo. The additional ingredients were selected because the compliment both proteins in different ways.
scallop
This was a perfectly cooked scallop. Seared golden brown on the outside, and a perfect melt in your mouth texture on the inside. Not a fishy taste anywhere. I love scallops from japan. Not sure why they are so superior, but they just are.
The caviar was a perfect salty element, and the jam added the smokey note you didn’t know you needed… until you did.
pork belly
Okay, let’s be frank. And not frank from my daughters favorite book series (looking at you hero’s of olympus). Jamie’s not a huge fan of pork belly. And, that’s not because he doesn’t like bacon, or the flavor, or any of the above. It’s because all too often pork belly is served without proper consideration about how much fat and how much meat is served in the portion served.
This pork belly, was not that. There was just enough fat to flavor the meat, and by just enough, I mean you didn’t get a giant bite of pork fat. So much so, that Jamie loved it, and wanted even more. Can we say “well done” without referencing an overcook portion of beef?!?
Suffice to say, there’s a reason why we love the marine room, and there’s a reason to keep going back. And I can assure you, that’s what we will be doing.