A Birthday Dinner fit for a Queen at Providence West Hollywood

On a work colleague's recommendation, I made a reservation for the family to celebrate my mum's birthday at Providence in West Hollywood. We set off to our destination with no expectations and hoping it would not disappoint. Disappoint it did not!
The walls are dotted with strategically placed shells, which is fitting for a fine dining destination that offers the best the ocean can offer.

I started my evening with  a pear martini, which was made up of vodka, sake and fresh organic pear juice. It was sweet and strong, just the right drink for a party. Then came the bread basket, just in time for patrons who were having pre-dinner cocktails on an empty stomach.
I opted for the salty and smoky nori bread.

Next came the amuse bouche trio of:

1. marshmallow rolled in wasabi dust- sweet with delicate heat
2. puff pastry filled with warm, pungent gruyere
3. shot of lime jelly topped with salmon tartare, caviar and edible gold dust- Sublime!

For starter I ordered the foie gras ravioli with truffles. The ravioli was light, in a buttery sauce and the earthy truffles went beautifully with the rich, fatty taste of foie gras. My picture does not do this dish justice. If you have the taste for foie gras, this is by far the best I've eaten.

My brother and father both had the scallops, which I had to taste, and boy am I glad I did. Firstly they're larger than the kind served in South Africa but as always they're soft and sweet. Served with a tomato and basil vinaigrette.

For main I had the Wild striped bass, Belgian endive seasoned with soy salt, crispy pork belly, yuzu kosho butter. This was set on a spinach bed and had a light red pepper sauce. The fish was cooked to perfection, although a slightly meaty fish it was moist and buttery. I expected pork crackling but the crisp pork belly added a great salty, mildly smoky flavour that worked so well. If I was pushed I would say that the red pepped sauce was slightly overpowering, but only if pushed. This is by far the best meal I have had! And it'll stay with me for years to come.

If you know me at all, you know I'm a sucker for desserts. Dessert was poached peaches with a star anise flavour on pistachio served with nectarine sorbet (i think) and a sweet bread. the peaches where sweet and tart at the same time with a lingering star anise flavour which I almost couldn't place.

The thing I loved most about this dinner was the integrity of flavours. The ability to keep the focus on the star of the dish be it foie gras, scallops, fish or peaches. the flavour combination was impeccable.
http://www.providencela.com/

Best restaurant recommendation ever, thank you!