Mélisse is a two-star Michelin restaurant located in the famous Beverly Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. At the helm of the restaurant are chefs Josiah Citrin and Ken Takayama. The chefs combine local ingredients with contemporary and classic techniques to create unique and creative cuisine. Mélisse opened a quarter century ago in 1999 and earned both its Michelin stars simultaneously in 2008. Over the years, Melisse has continually impressed over the years since 2008 and has held onto their stars, an accomplishment that is rare in the realm of high-end restaurants.
Mélisse has a very small seating area that is only capable of holding 14 people. The restaurant runs two seatings a night, usually starting around 6 and 9 o’clock. On the outside, the building is an unassuming grey and looks like a normal restaurant, but as you walk into the restaurant, the decor and color scheme portray an underlying luxury. The restaurant has a very chill ambiance due to the calming music played by the record player in the front of the restaurant. Mélisse also boasts an open kitchen, which allows you to see the chefs hard at work.
Once we were seated, we were given the set 10-course menu and the option to also add a mocktail pairing. This was the first time I had ever seen a mocktail pairing at any restaurant, so I decided to give it a try. Soon after being seated, the amuse-bouche arrived at the table.
We were served a selection of 4 amuse bouches. The first amuse-bouche was a Japanese A5 wagyu beef, sake leek, enoki mushroom, and potato chip “roll”. The leak surrounding the filling was crunchy and fresh. The freshness of the leak and mushrooms contrasted with the rich buttery flavor of the wagyu beef. The potato added a nice bit of subtle starchiness to balance out the bite. Overall this was one of the best amuse bouches I ever had, and was a perfect balance of many amazing flavors and ingredients. The second amuse-bouche was a aori ika blue squid, and garden rice ball with finger limes. The squid had a very unique presentation and looked like it was going to be spikey when I bit into it. Instead, the squid was soft and tender and was balanced with the perfect amount of rice. The third amuse-bouche was a pear and miso cured salmon roe with cucumber in a tiny green pastry shell. The salmon roe was decadent and savory and was surprisingly not overly salty like most roe. The miso added its delicious umami flavor and combined with the flaky pastry shell, made for a perfect bite. The final amuse-bouche was Kaluga caviar and yuzu and black pepper inside of a shima aji tart. Like the salmon roe, the Kaluga caviar wasn’t overly salty and instead took on a lot of the yuzu and black pepper flavor, which I enjoyed. The yuzu added a citrusy flavor, while the pepper added an earthy undertone, which combined perfectly with the fish-like flavor of the caviar.
The first course consisted of three small bowls. The first bowl was a rosemary-scented sunchoke soup with abla white truffles. The sunchoke soup had a nice earthy flavor which was exemplified by the addition of rosemary. The white truffles added a rich and delicate flavor, as well as an additional hit of earthiness. The second bowl was Hokkaido snow crab and sweet shrimp dumplings with a mushroom broth. The snow crab had a super delicate and ocean-like flavor, while the shrimp dumplings had a more dominant sweet flavor, which I liked. The sweet flavor balanced out the salty ocean flavor of the crab and made for a great combination. The mushroom broth gave both the crab and shrimp an umami flavor, which was super delicious. The final bowl was cured itoyori fish with green apple and radish. The itoyori fish was super fresh and not too salty, which allowed its subtle flavors to shine. The green apple and radish were also super fresh and contrasted the meatiness of the fish very well. This course was served with a mocktail pairing which was a cucumber, orange, and yuzu drink. The citrusy flavors were tangy and fresh, which paired amazingly with all three of the bowls. You could tell that there was lots of thought put into the pairing in order to help elevate the flavors of the bowls. Overall this was an amazing first course with so many different flavors and ingredients that worked perfectly together.
The second course was a sea urchin croquette with fermented yuzu honey. The sea urchin was encased in a fried outer layer which was crispy and crunchy. The sea urchin inside was soft and smooth, creating a nice contrast of textures. The yuzu honey on top was citrusy and sweet, which paired well with the savoriness of the sea urchin croquette. Overall, this was a delicious bite that incorporated so many different flavors and textures, and they all worked perfectly together.
The third course was a walnut, seaweed, and salsify plant soup with royal Osetra caviar. The walnut and salsify plant gave the soup an earthy taste and was very filling. The caviar on top was decadent and gave the soup a salty and savory taste that enhanced the seaweed flavor. This course was served with a green apple kombucha, which helped balance out the saltiness of the dish with freshness. Overall this was a delicious dish that combined both earthy and salty flavors that worked amazingly well together.
The fourth course was wild Maine scallops with a butternut squash nage (sauce) and alba white truffles. The scallop was cooked to perfection, with the perfect amount of bite and chewiness. The flavor of the scallop was mild with slight hints of fish and seaweed-like flavor. The butternut squash sauce was frothy and sweet and gave the scallops some extra flavor. The white truffles were super decadent and had a delicate umami flavor that elevated the dish to the next level. This course was served with golden beet, dates, and verjus (unripened grape juice) mocktail. The golden beets provided a slightly earthy taste, while the dates and verjus were sweet, and paired well with the butternut squash nage. Overall this was one of the best scallop dishes I have ever had, and one of my favorite courses from Mélisse.
The fifth course was rockfish and scallops with fennel and saffron. The rockfish and scallops were both perfectly cooked. The rockfish was soft, buttery, and flaky, while the scallop was smooth and slightly chewy. The fennel and saffron added some different flavor which helped cut the saltiness of the fish. This course was served with a pomegranate, cinnamon, cardamom, pineapple & angostura (bitters) mocktail. This mocktail had subtle fruitiness and spiced flavors which paired well with the subtle flavors of the dish. Overall this was one of the more simple dishes but was still professionally executed and tasted amazing.
The sixth course was hay-baked golden chicken with root vegetables and chestnut Carolina rice. Both the white and dark meat were served along with the rice and root vegetables. The chicken was so tender and juicy and was bursting with flavor. The Carolina rice made the dish feel more like a complex version of chicken and rice, which I really enjoyed. The rice was super flavorful and flavored with the juices from the chicken. The root vegetables added a crunch and some earthiness to the dish. This course was served with a smokey jasmine pearl tea. The tea was smokey and earthy and paired exceptionally with the flavorful chicken and rice. Overall this was another simple course that was surprisingly very delicious and was one of my favorite dishes of the night.
The seventh course was coffee-rubbed venison with Swiss chard and parsnips. The coffee rub was bitter and had notes of chocolate and smokiness. The venison was tender and took on some the the earthy taste of the coffee rub. The Swiss chard and parsnips on the side made for a refreshing bite in between the powerful coffee flavor. This course was served with a non-alcoholic version of Bailey’s Irish cream coffee. The coffee flavors from the mocktail and the dish were perfectly balanced so that they were both equally powerful and you could taste their unique tastes separately. At the same time, the theme of coffee flavors made this course feel very cohesive. Overall this was a very unique dish, incorporating two very different ingredients, venison and coffee, into one course.
The eighth course was a dulcey ganache tart and dark chocolate sorbet with hazelnuts. The ganache tart had just the right amount of sweetness that did not overpower the chocolate flavor. The tart filling was very smooth and decadent, bursting with so much warmth and aroma. The tart shell was thin and crispy with a slight crunch as you bit into it. The chocolate sorbet was also not too sweet and allowed for the chocolate flavor to shine through. The hazelnuts added a crunch and contrasted the otherwise smooth texture of the sorbet. Overall this was a perfectly executed dish that had just the right amount of sweetness
The ninth course was a pineapple and guava sorbet, passion fruit parfait, coconut, and tapioca. The sorbet was citrusy, sweet, and had a slight tanginess to it. It was also super smooth which contrasted with the crunchiness of the passion fruit seeds. The coconut added a rough and chewy texture, while the tapioca balls were more smooth and slimy. This course was served with a pineapple, lemon, grenadine & root beer mocktail. The mocktail wasn’t overpoweringly sweet thanks to the contrast between the lemon and root beer, which I really enjoyed. The tropical flavors from the pineapple matched perfectly with the flavors of the sorbet. Overall this course was a blend of vastly different textures that somehow, when eaten together, tasted like one cohesive and well-thought-out dish.
The final course of the evening was a brie tart with alba white truffles and a satsuma jelly pearl. The brie tart was super soft and smooth and the truffle gave it an amazing flavor. The outside of the tart was super flaky and had a pleasant crunch. The satsuma jelly had an amazing fruity flavor as well as a texture similar to a marshmallow. The spoon it was served on allowed you to eat it in a single bite, which allowed all the flavors to shine through at the same time. Overall this was a delicious and perfectly executed course, and was a fantastic way to end the night.
Mélisse was one of the finest restaurants I have ever been to. From exceptional service and hospitality to professionally executed dishes, Mélisse lives up to its 2 Michelin star hype. If you are ever in Los Angeles and you are looking for the best food in the city, look no further than Mélisse.
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